What Should I Do?

[shan]

My daughter is a celiac, comfirmed with blood and biopsy (she's nearly three, been gluten free for 10 months). I have just found out i am pregnant. my gyn has no idea about celiac and couldn't answer. Should i go gluten free while pregnant and nursing or should i just let nature take its course? Since i found out i am pregnant, i have been really healthy, eating lots of salads, and veggies - really hardly any gluten. But i am not careful - i'll eat gluten chocolate, and if i want some cake, i'll eat it... You get what i mean - i can go 3-4 days without gluten, but then i'll just eat it.

Also, if i am in a right old mood, only good old gluten will calm me down

[alamaz]

Have you been tested for celiac since your daughters dx? I suggest you get yourself tested with the bloodwork immediatly if you haven't. Don't go gluten-free if you don't have to. Also, by going gluten-free before any testing you will raise the risk of false negative blood tests (you have to be consuming gluten to have the antibodies present).

If you OB/Gyn doesn't know what to do, ask your primary care physician or better yet your daughters GI doc. can refer you to some one or do the tests himself.

If you have been tested and are negative, you can consume gluten during pregnancy and breastfeeding although there are studies that researched when the best time is to introduce gluten/wheat to the babies diet (somewhere between 4-7 months of age). I've read other sources that say to wait one year to introduce wheat.

Congratulations and good luck!

[kbtoyssni]

I guess there's two issues here. This first is, do you have celiac? If so, I would absolutely go gluten-free for the health of the baby. Testing is going to be difficult with you being mostly gluten-free, but the fact that you can't go more than 3-4 days without gluten sounds almost like a celiac addiction to me.

The other issue is whether you eating gluten will affect whether the baby will develop celiac. I'm not sure about this one. It seems like if the baby is going to get celiac, there isn't much you can do about it.

[shan]

i got tested and i am not a celiac - i got tested about 6 months ago. See, the reason i chose to go gluten free is because then i watch what i put i n my mouth and automatically am dieting (don't worry, my byn told me i am 4.5 lbs less than last preg, and i am thin to begin with ) So really i am using this as an excuse to diet, but i don't know if it is the a good idea... My hubby thinks i've lost it, can't understand why any normal person would choose to go gluten free, but i like it... except the baked goods!!!

[pugluver31902]

Here's my two cents.. If you are concerened about getting an accurate test, you need to being eating gluten regularly for the blood test to be accurate. If you are gluten free, you will not have any antibody's in your system. But...the blood test is not always that accurate anyways, and Im not sure you can do a biopsy while pregnant. BUT...since you already have one child with celiac, and it is a genetic condition, chances are your second child could have it too. Celiac and autism have lately been proven to be very closely linked. They are finding most kids with autism have undiagnosed celiac. Im pregnant and have confirmed celiac so I am already gluten free, but I do plan to keep my baby gluten free until he is at least past the age of developing autism. (gluten is also passed through breastmilk)Then we will introduce wheat into his'her diet and see how he/she does. Also, there have been a lot of studies on celiac raising your risk of misscarriage, but I dont know enough on that to objectivly comment. But like I said, thats just my two cents.